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Learn How NYS Can Scale Up Offshore Wind, at 3 Public Events

As offshore wind power becomes ever more of a reality along the East Coast, this week, New Yorkers have opportunities to learn more about how we can scale up the pollution-free technology here, at three public information events on Long Island.

Edison Sub-District Office District 4, United Steel Worker via Flickr

As offshore wind power becomes ever more of a reality along the East Coast, interested New Yorkers have the opportunity to learn more about New York State’s Offshore Wind Master Plan at three public information sessions on Long Island this week. The Master Plan is the state’s effort to realize and optimize the significant potential that offshore wind power offers to us all: pollution-free electricity, as well as the climate and public health benefits that come with it; substantial employment opportunities, and much more.

The Master Plan is being drafted by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and has been in the works for several years. And as the Empire State takes important steps to help offshore wind power become a thriving industry here, much as it already is in Europe and increasingly in Asia, the benefits are plain to see. That’s why an important and diverse coalition of labor, business, environmental, and Long Island leaders and elected officials, including State Senator Phil Boyle (R-Bayshore), came together at a news conference in Melville this afternoon to support offshore wind power off the Long Island coast.

Supporters of New York offshore wind power (including me, second from the left) gathered today in Melville to highlight the many benefits the clean energy solution can offer to the Empire State.

Under Governor Andrew Cuomo’s leadership, New York has already committed to offshore wind power, including a pledge that we will get 2.4 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030. That will play a central role in enabling the state to meet its pivotally important plan to get 50 percent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2030 and will help power 1.25 million homes. But the potential is even bigger in the waters off New York, where we can responsibly site as many as 39 gigawatts of offshore wind power projects—15 million homes’ worth.

Then there are the jobs—lots of them. A recent report from the nonprofit Workforce Development Institute found there are 74 types of jobs in offshore wind power—ranging from riggers, divers, and crane operators, to bookkeepers, paralegals, and electrical engineers. New Yorkers can fill them all, much to our benefit. In fact, a SUNY Stonybrook study found that a single, 250-megawatt offshore wind power project off Long Island could create 2,800 jobs and generate $645 million in local economic output, while a companion study found such a project could be built with “essentially no impact” on consumers’ electric rates.

Want to know more? This week on Long Island, you can be among the first to learn about what offshore wind power offers New Yorkers and how we can scale it up, at these events:

NYSERDA will hold more public information sessions soon, including three slated for New York City in August. These events are good news for all of us: The more we know about the Offshore Wind Master Plan, the sooner we can make offshore wind power and all its benefits a reality for New Yorkers and the Empire State.